Are you self-aware? To what degree? How can a person tell whether they are self-aware or not?

Question

I believe that a vast majority of people are woefully unaware of themselves. They live their whole lives never really understanding why they do the things they do. They don't even try to examine themselves in an objective way. They function on emotion and instinct, and do nothing other than pursue their basic urges.

Answer 1

I am somewhat self aware, for reasons only that I have been shown who I am in many instances of life.

I know I am self aware because I control my mind and my tongue. I dont dance unless theres music, I wont speak when I have nothing to say, despite what I feel, my emotions, or how badly I want to hurt someone.

Thus, my ability to do these things is what separates humans from animals.

Answer 2

I am very self-aware. How can a person tell? Well, first of all, if you ask yourself that question, you are self-aware at that moment. People can tell if they can identify changes they have made to themselves based on observations they have made or information they have gathered. Also, if a person makes a positive change based on feedback from someone else, that can be a good indication.

I know that if someone asks me how I feel or why I feel what I feel, I can usually back it up from several perspectives.

I agree with you that so many people are unaware. I run into that all the time. So often if I ask someone why they feel or think what they do, they respond with "because" or "I just do." Those people are so out of touch. :)

Answer 3

I wish u included u'r self in the people list. Anyway the answer I think is coz every where u need an idol to see and be like that and todays kids are all sincerely doing just that. U know what??? When my kids do something nasty I always see me in them and I chastise myself before even i go to them. That sort of melows me down and then I explain what is not and what is.Coz I do believe my kids are my image whether good or bad. I take up responsibilities for both side of the coin.

Answer 4

Conscience is an ability or faculty or sense that leads to feelings of remorse when we do things that go against our moral values, or which informs our moral judgment before performing such an action. Such feelings are not intellectually reached, though they may cause us to 'examine our conscience' and review those moral precepts, or perhaps resolve to avoid repeating the behaviour.

Commonly used metaphors refer to the "voice of conscience" or "voice within."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscience

Answer 5

Oh how correct your words are. But if you know that much, you know the answer.
"Man" is self aware, and that has been recognized for millenia. The name of our species is "Homo sapiens sapiens." (Homo sapiens died tens of thousands of years ago; we are his only living cousin.) "Sapient" means "full of knowledge; sagacious."
"Sapiens" is used twice to describe us because we are cognizant of our own cognizance. Those who use this self-awareness least are missing out on a lot of things life has to offer, but it does seem to work ok for many of them.